There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of possible ice breakers you can use at your next nonprofit meeting. But they are not all equally appropriate under every circumstance. The best ice breaker idea will fit your group’s needs and agenda. Before choosing an ice breaker, here are four factors to keep in mind.
Function of Ice Breakers
There are many reasons to use ice breakers, other than simply because they are one way to kickoff a meeting. Clearly, ice breakers are useful when groups are getting together for the first time. But they can also be valuable for groups that meet again and again. For instance, if there is an association with a fluid membership, ice breakers can help introduce new members to the old guard and vice versa. Or if it’s particularly important for a group to trust each other and work together well, but they only meet once a month or less (as in the case of most nonprofit boards), then having an ice breaker each time can help increase the group’s cohesiveness. Just remember to alter the ice breaker used to match the situation. Below are some general guidelines about what ice breaker ideas to try when:
- Learning group member’s names: Consider name games
- Meeting other group members: Consider activities that separate people into pairs or small groups
- Sharing and getting to know each other: Consider round-robin, thought-provoking questions
- Diffusing negative energy (tension, nervousness, stress): Consider more irreverent questions or an activity requiring movement
- Energizing the group: Consider a fun game that requires movement
- Affirming commitment: Consider some sort of ritual (a song, a prayer, reciting the company values)
Time Considerations
A good, fun ice breaker can be incredibly time consuming. If the purpose of your meeting is team-building, then all you might need the entire time are ice-breaker-type games and questions. Likewise, if you are conducting a day-long training session, you can afford to have a nice, long ice breaker (or perhaps several short exercises dispersed throughout the day) But if you only have ninety minutes to have a board meeting or staff orientation, even going around the room having people introduce themselves can be time-consuming, and a longer ice breaker would certainly take away from your accomplishing the meeting objectives. Carefully consider how much time you have and what information/action you need to get through. Then choose an ice breaker that will work with your schedule.
Physical Considerations
Some of the most fun ice breakers require people to walk around conducting scavenger hunts, disentangling themselves from each other, miming a word, or something equally active. Though fun, these ice breakers are often not appropriate, because
- there isn’t enough space or materials to carry them out,
- they require a high level of physical comfort that the group does not have,
- they exclude people with physical limitations, or
- they simply take up too much time
Emotional Considerations
Many ice breaker ideas that seem interesting on the surface require strangers to disclose more about themselves than they are comfortable doing. Even people who know each other can feel embarrassed interacting at a different level than they are used to. Ideally, you should keep participation in the ice breaker optional. But also consider to what degree an ice breaker requires participants to take an emotional risk. If possible, choose a question or activity that will keep discomfort to a minimum. If the meeting or training is about an emotional subject, as is often the case with nonprofit groups, then put guidelines in place that will make participants feel more comfortable in disclosing information about themselves or taking emotional risks.
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Estela Kennen - Estela is a doctoral student in Public Administration and a freelance writer and editor.
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